The Groupama-FDJ United cycling team headed into this weekend’s two FDJ United Series races in Brittany with ambitious intentions. Despite making several moves both on Saturday and Sunday, the French squad ultimately failed to deliver a breakthrough result. Rudy Molard finished seventh in a punchy uphill sprint at the Tour du Finistère, while David Gaudu claimed fifth place at the Boucles de l’Aulne after forming a breakaway group himself more than sixty kilometres from the finish.
As the opening act of the Breton weekend, the peloton rolled into Quimper on Saturday for the Tour du Finistère, where a demanding 156-kilometre course featuring 2,300 metres of elevation gain awaited. More specifically, the race final consisted of six laps of a ten-kilometre circuit, including two key climbs: one of 800 metres averaging 6%, and another 600-metre ascent at 7% leading to the finish line. “We didn’t really have the pure sprinter to win, so the goal was to animate the final circuit a bit,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “David tried with 50 kilometres to go, Valentin did the same a lap later, but the wind wasn’t very favourable after the climb, and it slowed the attacks down a little. We quickly understood it would come down to an uphill sprint.” In the final laps, the peloton mainly focused on bringing back the early breakaway, which they managed to do with eight kilometres remaining. “We had kept Bastien and Rudy protected for the sprint,” Benoît added. “Unfortunately, Bastien was a bit out of position when the sprint started and got boxed in. It’s a shame he couldn’t express himself the way he wanted to. Rudy finished seventh, and I think that was about his place, but overall the result was obviously mixed.”
“We did what we had to do” – Benoît Vaugrenard
Therefore on Sunday, for the second Breton race, Groupama-FDJ United did everything possible to avoid a sprint finish at the Boucles de l’Aulne, on a longer (178 km) and more demanding course than the day before. “Either we raced defensively, or we committed to an aggressive race, but in that case you needed the legs,” Benoît explained. “From what I had seen on Saturday, David was going well, Valentin too, so we chose the offensive option. We knew we carried the weight of the race and that everyone would be watching us. It wasn’t an easy race to manage, but the main objective was to make sure it never eased down. We had six passages over the Ménez Quelc’h, but the last one came with 35 kilometres to go, and we know it often comes back together afterwards. We really needed a lively race, and the guys did that very well. An early break went clear, and we sacrificed riders very early on, namely Maximilian and Lewis, to keep the pace high relentlessly. It was risky, but we had to do it, otherwise we would have ended up frustrated with a sprint finish.” On the fourth ascent of the Ménez Quelc’h, with nearly 80 kilometres remaining, the strategy started to pay off. “Valentin attacked in a move and everyone was starting to struggle,” Benoît said. “He was caught on the following lap, but then David launched his own attack.”
More than sixty kilometres from the finish, the Breton climber made a decisive selection, with only seven riders able to follow his wheel. Rudy Molard and Valentin Madouas narrowly missed the decisive move. “Valentin had already gone in the previous attack, and Rudy perhaps wasn’t well positioned when the acceleration came,” Benoît explained. “That’s the small regret, although I’m not sure it would have changed the outcome of the race that much.” From that point on, the eight leaders opened up a thirty-second gap over the peloton before a ninth rider bridged across, pushing the advantage beyond one minute. On the less selective finishing circuit in Châteaulin, the front group managed to hold off the bunch, and with one lap to go, an acceleration from David Gaudu reduced the breakaway further, leaving seven riders together entering the final kilometre. Victory was then decided in the uphill drag to the line, where Jon Barrenetxea took the win for the second consecutive day, while David Gaudu secured fifth place. “We did what we had to do, we were just missing a bit of strength to win,” Benoît said. “We have no regrets about the strategy because if we hadn’t attacked, we would probably have ended up in an 80-rider sprint, and I’m not sure we would have come away with a strong result. We’re not satisfied with fifth place, but the attitude and commitment were good.”
“We must not give up”– Benoît Vaugrenard
Groupama-FDJ United therefore leaves Brittany with two top-10 finishes and mixed feelings overall. “We’re not just here to animate the race, we’re here to win, especially races at this level,” Benoît concluded. “In the end, we even finished the weekend without a podium, so for sure we’re disappointed with the raw results. Still, I saw encouraging signs on Sunday. We were active in a difficult race where there was nowhere to hide. The finishing touch isn’t there yet, and that’s the little extra we’re missing to take victories. We must not give up, things should turn our way in the coming races, and David also regained some confidence compared to last week.”
